Black and Green
by Wtchfck
Summary: [MadaSaku - AU] She had left her parents and friends behind and would face them sporadically in the coming months since she had accepted a job in a city 200 kilometers north of her hometown. (..) Sakura would take care of a blind young man for eight months.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

She was excited. Sakura could not remember to have ever been this agitated. There was only one station to go. She had left her parents and friends behind and would face them sporadically in the coming months since she had accepted a job in a city 200 kilometers north of her hometown.

Sakura would take care of a blind young man for eight months. Izuna Uchiha lived together with his brother Madara who, according to the description on the internet, had to work day after day, resulting in him not being able to look after his younger brother properly.

She had not hesitated to contact Madara Uchiha and to offer him to nurse his brother. Sakura had contacted him in the evening and gotten an answer immediately the day after. To her biggest surprise, he had laconically told her in a mail that she had gotten the job. They had exchanged several formal mails to decide when and where to meet. Madara had paid for her train ride and would meet her at the central station.

Sakura already had his mobile phone number and had texted him about the train's delay. Madara had not answered yet.

The passengers rose from their dark blue seats even though there had not been any announcement so far. They started to get dressed, searched for the toilets and the luggage racks. Theirs movements made Sakura feel even more excited; she even started feeling a bit nervous because of the people getting ready to disembark.

Sakura was glad to have occupied four seats by herself; her suitcase was standing between her knees and the two-seater opposite of her. She took her mobile phone out of her beige bag and typed a message to her friend Ino. Ino had bid Sakura goodbye on the track along with Sakura's parents.

 _I'll be there in ten minutes. I'm so excited, and a little scared, too._

It was the third message directed to Ino today. She had written the first one when she had had to change trains; the second one she had written when she had had to change tracks again. Fortunately she had had enough time to do it; she had even managed to buy food. The noodles she had not eaten up were now resting inside a bin underneath the window that pictured a gray sky and barren trees.

Sakura received a message from Madara.

 _I'll be at the track to pick you up, Miss Haruno._

She asked herself what Madara looked like. He knew the way she looked like. Her curriculum vitae contained a picture of her, after all. He had said: "You don't have to recognize me. **I** 'll recognize **you**." She had felt quite queasy while reading this.

Of course she was not interested in Madara's appearance only. She had a feeling he was distant and cold; at least that was her first impression of him. And, naturally, she wanted to know how Izuna Uchiha looked like.

A high-pitched male voice announced the next station – the final destination. Sakura's heart was beating excessively when she got up to put on her light brown woolen coat. Sakura looked out of the window while buttoning up, sometimes clawing her nails into the soft material.

When the tracks appeared in front of her she pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. She received a message from Ino which she instantly replied to.

 _I feel you! Text me, or call me if you can. I'm dying of curiosity._

She was curious, too.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

She let other people disembark first before getting off the train herself.

Sakura was greeted by cold air that made her breath turn into white clouds. Fortunately, her skin was protected by a generous layer of daily skincare from the cold which penetrated through her pants under which she wore tights to keep her legs warm. Sakura was sensitive to the cold, wearing two pair of socks during winter.

She held her heavy suitcase in one hand, while she carried her bag on the left shoulder. She made a few steps forward and put her luggage down while having a look around.

The people that had left the train before her were moving towards the escalator; they pushed each other, threw curses at the ones before and behind them, trying not to run against each other; the platform was too narrow.

A new city. A new job. She had wanted to find a well-paid job in a city far away badly; she had not had any scruples leaving family and friends behind. But she knew that she would miss them a lot nonetheless. After all, they were very important to her.

Sakura put on her red gloves.

The central station was a peculiar one. Cylinder-shaped pillars of glass carried a roof that was made of glass, too. From a small bakery opposite the escalator, the smell of bread and pastry came.

There were no doves here; other central stations had to fight them like the plague.

Madara had said he would pick her up at the platform.

To be sure he would be in time, and had not been involved in an accident or so, she checked her mobile phone. No messages had been sent to her in the past minutes.

Sakura put the phone away, scanning the surroundings. And then she saw him.

Was it really Madara Uchiha? It had to be him. He approached her with his hands inside his long, black coat's pockets. His hair was long, wild-looking, and he wore a cherry red scarf around his neck. Apparently he had been waiting for the crowd to become thinner.

"Sakura Haruno."

As he stood directly in front of her, pronouncing her whole name like a statement, she was petrified. She was overwhelmed by all the impressions that were falling down on her. His voice was calm, deep, a bit frightening. He smelled of moss and sweet wood. Sakura let his odour, one that she had not smelled before, penetrate her nose. His rosy, glabrous facial skin was seamless and plump; very juvenile. Under his eye, however, there were wrinkles and dark circles. His empty eyes, filled with dark nothingness, rested upon her. He might have been thirty years old.

Sakura was afraid. His presence was intimidating, paralyzing. He was just like a lion.

 _ **I** 'll recognize **you**_ , she suddenly remembered, gulping. Sakura had to suppress the irrational impulse jumping back into the train, leaving Madara Uchiha and the pillars of glass behind.

"Let's go."

Sakura shook off her thoughts. She opened her mouth to say something, but she could only breathe out through her recently moisturized lips. She pulled herself together as far as she could.

He asked her if he should carry her suitcase.

With a shaky voice she answered, "That would be nice."

She smiled at him, hoping it did not look too stilted. Sakura did not want to make an unfriendly impression.

Madara did not smile. Effortlessly he lifted her suitcase and approached the escalator. She followed him with her head down.

He raised his voice when they stood on the square before the central station.

Madara had parked nearby. His car was black, the surface was sparkling clean. The inside of the car was clean, too; there was not a single crumb to be found. Sakura smelled orchids. Her mother loved orchids, and since her father bought orchids quite often to surprise her mother, she perfectly knew how these particular flowers smelled.

Madara stowed Sakura's luggage in the trunk, and as soon as he sat behind the steering wheel, his fragrance and the scent of the car's inside mingled together like two waters. A new smell had been created which made Sakura feel a bit lightheaded. As he started the car, she asked him if she could open the window.

"Yes, you can. I hope you won't feel too cold. Guess I have to repair the air conditioner soon. But you do tolerate car rides, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. That doesn't happen very often."

The air was not clear at all since they still were in the city. However, Sakura did not feel lightheaded anymore. The young woman brushed some of her pink hair strands behind her ear, inspecting the car with glances. She found a flacon. Car parfume.

"Miss Haruno," he addressed Sakura, looking at her from the corners of his eyes while turning left. They passed the town hall; there was a lot of traffic. "As soon as we will arrive home I'll tell you everything that is of importance." He paused, continuing in an urgent tone: "Miss Haruno, my brother is everything to me. Considering the payment and the privileges you will enjoy I expect you to do a good job. You were the first one to contact me, and since you are perfectly qualified for this position, I didn't feel like I had to wait for another application. I'm relying on you, and I hope that yo won't disappoint me."

She would have been indignant at his diction for sure if he had been someone else. But since he still was Madara Uchiha, the man that had made her to turn into a pillar of salt, she simply answered, "I will perform my tasks conscientiously, Mr. Uchiha. You can count on me, and please don't worry."

She had tried to ban any insecurity from her voice. Sakura wanted to convince him with words even though she knew it was better to speak less and act more.

"Good," Madara said.

The remaining trip they spent in silence.

* * *

He parked in front of a tall building. He was a good driver and had driven carefully. His presence was now easier to bear.

The building was twenty five floors tall, and it reminded the young caregiver of wet, squashed paperboard. It was unsightly. Therefore, she was highly surprised to enter the clean elevator, looking at the neat mirror in front of her.

It was very cold on the floor as they left the elevator. It was even colder than outside. Sakura could not understand why, and she was happy when the warmth of Izuna and Madara's flat embraced her. She had not expected to be greeted by such hearty warmth. Since Sakura's nose was still overwhelmed by the composition of different smells she had breathed in before, she could not smell anything new.

As soon as they got rid of their coats and shoes, Madara showed Sakura her room. It was a bright, spacious room painted in terrestrial colours. There was a bed, a sofa, and a coffee table; a TV, an empty shelf, and a cupboard.

Sakura could not say how large this room was exactly. In any case it was twice as big as the room at her parents' flat. She had expected to encounter a littler room.

The view from the window was great, being magnetic in spring; blue mountains merged with the dull sky.

Sakura ran her hands over the curtains; they were heavy, cream-coloured and felt almost like a carpet.

"I will show you the rest of the flat."

Madara had been watching her the whole time, imbibing her movements and reactions. He wanted to make sure that he could trust her. Well, provided Izuna would not put her to flight.

Rigorously Izuna had refused to be cared after at home, but in the end he had had to surrender before Madara.

Madara feared that Izuna would be repulsive to Sakura, because she was a stranger; a stranger he could not even see. He was afraid that Izuna would do something dumb. Recently Izuna had tried to make food himself, almost having cut one of his fingers off.

Madara showed Sakura the kitchen, the bathroom, the living room, and his room, too. While he had let Sakura take a look inside all of the other rooms, the door into hiw own room remained closed. He told her, "Don't go into my room when I'm not around, and if you want to enter, knock first."

"And this right here is Izuna's room." Hesitantly he touched the door handle. "He spends most of the time inside his own room. Earlier you could have found him in the living room quite often, but now he…" Madara broke off, pushing down the silvery door handle.

In here, there was practically no scent at all. Large shelves carried a variety of books; Sakura thought she had entered a library. While the rest of the flat was laid out with laminate, this room's floor was carpeted.

There was dust on every shelf. She had noticed before that while everything in this tidied up flat had its place, there was a lot of dust on many surfaces.

Next to the window, some books rested on a table. His right hand was resting on the table, his right one on his lap; his head was facing the wall, slightly bowed. Izuna's face was as pale as death, and he reminded Sakura of a statue. His clothes were black and wide, throwing folds. Izuna's hair was black but not as wild as Madara's, resembling a young lion's mane.

"Izuna."

Sakura looked bewildered at Madara. His voice was drenched with tenderness; he wanted Izuna to look at him but he knew that it was impossible.

"Miss Haruno's now here. I showed her the flat."

Slowly, Izuna turned his head to Madara and Sakura, and it felt like a statue was about to come to life.

"Good day," Sakura said.

Izuna did not greet her back.

With a nod Madara indicated her to follow him to the table.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I'll be your caregiver for the coming months. Please don't be shy and ask me whenever you need help," she introduced herself properly.

Izuna Uchiha's eyes were closed, he was blind, yet Sakura felt him eyeing her up and down with distrust. It would not be easy in the beginning. But what in the world was easy? Basically nothing. She would conquer any difficulties for sure.

"He isn't as talkative as before." Madara had banished the tenderness from his voice and the fondness out of his glance. His voice turned harsh and everything loving left his gaze as his features grew cold. „Let's leave. I'll give you exact directions outside."

"No, I want to listen to the things you have to say, brother." Izuna's voice was weak; a noticeable hitch seized Madara's body. "After all I'm the one who'll be cared for." He prolonged the last word subliminally contemptuous.

Madara sharply drew the air in and turned to Sakura. "You make him breakfast, lunch, and supper. Make sure he eats up. I made a detailed list. I'll give it to you in a minute. Once a day you'll have to…" Madara stopped, searching for the right word. "You'll have to go for a walk with him. You should know that I partially work until the late night. Sometimes, you will be sleeping already when I come home, and sometimes I'll be away fort two or three days. This doesn't happen very often, though. You can contact me via mobile phone anytime. Izuna has a device which he can use to call you whenever he needs something. I'll show it to you."

Izuna did not comment Madara's words.

When they left the room Madara closed the door und approached the side table. A telephone rested there, and two folded pieces of paper which hold Sakura's duties in short form. The device Madara had talked about found its way into her hands; it reminded her of a handy recorder. Madara explained to her how the device worked.

"There are for sure things he can do on his own. And I'm sure he won't be happy about this, but please look after him from time to time." Madara lowered his voice. "Please look after him from time to time..." Their eyes met, and Sakura nodded. For a short moment she had detected sadness within the deep blackness. Izuna meant everything to him. Mentally she clenched her fists.

"I'm home today. You have time until tomorrow to settle." Madara turned on his heels. "I'll bring your suitcase to your room."

She was ready for the coming months.

* * *

 **I'm so sorry you had to wait more than a month to read the first chapter. I hope you like it. I won't make any promises since I don't want you to be disappointed, but I'll give my best to upload the next chapter very soon!**

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing.**


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Contently, Sakura sat down on her bed and let her gaze wander around the room. She had dusted and aired the interior. She left the window slightly ajar, so that not too much cold could enter the room, while she was sorting her clothes, her skin care products, her make-up and some slim books. Her laptop and two notebooks were placed on the small table. She had put the folded pieces of paper that she had already studied carefully into one of the notebooks. All that had just taken thirty minutes of her time. She had received a message from her mother and answered that she arrived safely. In the evening she would call her mother and Ino.

The bed had been freshly made by Madara before her arrival and exuded a subtly floral scent. She had to stow several things in the bathroom and had to get a towel, then everything would be in place. _Ah the cloths!_ , she remembered suddenly and inflated her cheeks. Her mother had put a small stack of two towels and two bath towels on the basket in front of her room's door. But Sakura had forgotten to take them with her.

Sakura closed the window and left her room to look for Madara. At his room's door she came to a halt and started preparing herself for the upcoming tête-à-tête. She could use the Uchiha brothers' cloths fur sure; after all they were washed after being used several times. But still Sakura wanted to ask Madara for the sake of safety and courtesy. She knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter.

Madara was sitting in a red armchair at a small glass table. He was holding his head in the left hand; with the other hand he was holding the tablet. He averted his gaze from the tablet when Sakura coughed slightly. Half-heartedly he apologized, watching her with a questioning look.

"I forgot my clothes at home," Sakura explained.

"You'll find clothes in the bathroom. They're in the closet left from the sink," Madara responded, brushing with his fingers through his dark mane. "Basically, do as you wish, as long as you take good care of my brother and don't destroy things. But I really don't think you are incredibly clumsy. We discussed it via mail already, but I'd like to repeat: You're off on Sundays and Saturdays unless I'm absent on these days. You'll be paid in cash weekly on Fridays, and I'll leave an envelope with money in it on the small table in the hallway. I guess you saw the supermarket when we approached the building."

He had been watching her the whole time, and his facial expression said, "Do you understand, Miss Haruno?"

"I understand."

Sakura left the room and sighed deeply.

Soon, she had stashed all her belongings in the bathroom.

Just when she wanted to close the bathroom door, she saw Izuna Uchiha standing in the doorframe. She did not realize he was standing there barefoot and with a hunched back.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" Whenever she spoke with a disabled person, she never changed her way of speaking. She did not talk to them in a degrading tone, like some people talk to children. Other people who shared the same job had sometimes enraged her through such behavior.

„Yes, and I don't need your help," Izuna replied and entered the bathroom.

Sakura waited until Izuna came out. He slowly walked over to the opposing wall and touched it, feeling his way along the wall on the way to his room. Would he sit down on the chair next to the window, become a statue again? Madara had told her that Izuna only spent time in his room. What did he do there all day?

He waited for the day to end. Then he laid down and fell asleep. And when he woke up, perceived brightness and Madara entered his room, he knew: a new day had begun. He heaved his body up, brushed his teeth, ate breakfast that his brother made him and sat down next to the window. Sometimes he stood in front of the bookshelf, inhaled the slightly musty smell of the old books from the second-hand bookstore, felt along the spine of a book, touched and felt the traces of use. And wanted to be able to see again more than anything else.

* * *

Madara put down his tablet. He decided to have a break from reading and answering incoming mails and changed his position to a relaxed posture. Tomorrow would be his first day at work after two weeks.

Most of his seminars had been canceled by Madara; some seminars had been hold by supply lecturers. All of his private pupils had received the information that he was not able to give them private lessons the coming time; but he offered his pupils to help them with acute problems via email or telephone.

It had not been his dream to become a tutor and a lecturer for linguistics during its flowering time. However, he was satisfied with his job. He was one of the top earners and he was also known for his several contributions to anthologies.

In the living room Madara ran into Sakura who was busy with dusting. Surprised by this sight, he told her that she did not need to do more than she was supposed to do. "Besides, first day of work is tomorrow."

Sakura replied, "I know, Mr. Uchiha. But I wanted to do it, and I would never demand extra payment." She smiled at him awkwardly.

Sakura seemed to be intimidated by his presence, and he could not tell if it was a good or a bad thing. He shrugged. There were not any disadvantages to her cleaning work, and she did not behave like a bull in a china shop. Madara turned his back on her and walked away while Sakura continued with the cleaning of the light bulb.

His break was not long. He talked to Izuna about dinner, took a shower and came back to his room. Two new mails had been sent to him. One was from a student whom he talked to about a paper, the other one had been sent by Hashirama Senju.

Madara made a face. Wrinkles appeared around his mouth, between his eyes and on his forehead, and soon veins popped up on one temple. He drew the air in sharply, tapping his finger on the tablet as if his was in a state of severe impatience.

Madara was thinking weather he should open the mail or simply move it to the bin. Finally, he decided to read it.

 _Dear Madara,_

 _I learned from your secretary why you have been absent from university. I'm aware of Izuna's condition now. My warmest condolences. I wish both of you courage and strength._

 _Kindest regards,_

 _Hashirama_

If he wanted to vent his anger verbally, he would not know where to start. Madara was enraged by the fact that, apparently, his secretary had turned nto a blabbermouth. He did not tell her to keep quiet about everything, but to him, it was obvious not to pass down a word, especially not to this damned Hashirama. He would have a talk with his secretary tomorrow.

 **Dear** Madara. **Warmest** condolences. **Kindest** Regards.

He did not like these set phrases, particularly when Hashirama used them. They were colleagues, not friends anymore. At least Hashirama was not as pushy as he used to be.

Indeed, his job was tolerable. But it could be more tolerable if Hashirama Senju's office would not face his own. It would be even better if Hashirama Senju would lecture at another university. Madara dislike this man who greeted him with a bright smile whenever they ran into each other.

Once there had been a party, and Hashirama had been half drunk, patting Madara's back and laughing loud and cordially. It took him a lot of self-cotrol not to grab Hashiama by the collar and to threaten him.

Madara and Hashirama knew each other since childhood. They had visited the same school, the same university, and they both had decided to stay there. There had been a time when they had gotten along, but Hashirama was a simpleton. He had achieved his Ph. D. before Madara and was very proud of it. Hashirama created new methods, new ideas, and everyone was fond of them; people referred to his ideas, trying to incorporate them into seminars and change the department's rules, even though Hashirama was responsible for literary science and not for the department as a whole.

Madara wished Hashirama would ramble less in his essays, making stupid comparisons, instead of…

Madara stopped thinking about Hashirama as he realized that he had started to get all worked up about this man once more, and took a deep breath. His wrinkles that had become rough canyons smoothened within the upcoming seconds. No, he would not get worked up about Hashirama. It had happened a lot in the past, and the only thing he had been granted was bad moods.

He decided to answer the following since he responded to every person:

 _Thank you, Hashirama._

 _Yours truly,_

 _M. U._

* * *

Sakura was talking to Ino on the phone when someone knocked on the door.

"I made dinner," Madara said. "We can have it together."

Sakura said goodbye to Ino, to whom she had been describing the flat, and left her bed to open the door. She had a hard time picturing Madara Uchiha as a competent cook. And then she realized that she did not know what he did for a living. Sakura peered at Madara, wondering if she should ask him, but she did not find the courage to do so.

The kitchen's furnishing was made of wood and stainless steel, and the lacquered surfaces were shimmering in the plain lamp's light. The table had been set already; they would have rice and meat for dinner.

Izuna was already sitting at the table. He had lowered his head as if he did not want the others to look at him.

They did not speak much. Madara finished his serving first. When Izuna leaned back on his chair, Madara asked, "Don't you want some more?"

"No. I had a lot for lunch," Izuna responded.

Madara nodded slowly, even though he knew that Izuna could not see it. He escorted Izuna to his room. In the meantime, Sakura cleaned the table.

"Do you drink tea?" Madara asked when he came back ten minutes later.

She was clearly irritated by the implication to have a cup of tea with him, but she composed herself quickly and approved of the offer.

Madara opened up the wall cupboard near the refrigerator, listing all of the types of tea that he could find, and soon they were sitting at the kitchen table, consuming green tea.

"Mr. Uchiha?" Sakura dared to break the silence. "What does Izuna do when he's on his own?"

Madara looked at his cup of tea. Delicate, pale grey flowers were blooming on the ceramic white. Long time ago, they had been of a brighter grey.

"I wanted to take care of activities which he could perform safely. At the moment he refuses to take part in any activities, and he also refuses to talk for a long time. I assume it's a phase."

He hoped that it was as phase. In the past, they had been hand in glove.

Absent-mindedly he told her, "At some point, his retinal cells started dying rapidly and there was no way to stop the process. I was amazed how Izuna dealt with the fact that he would become blind soon. I didn't think he would be the same, though, but I also never expected him to back away from his old life completely…"

Madara stopped talking; Sakura thought that it was inappropriate to say anything.

One day he had woken up, his vision blurred as if he was walking through endless mist. He had called after Madara, desperately digging his nails into the blanket while the sun's rays touched his skin.

His older brother, at that moment nothing more than a pale shadow, had burst into the room and had wrapped his arms around Izuna, squeezing him tightly. Hoping to somehow comfort him, Madara had started talking to him gently. Sometime after, Izuna had become calm. His body had stopped trembling and his limbs had relaxed.

"Since this day, he is who he is," Madara said, drinking up the tea.


End file.
